A Second Second Chance
by casa-dilla
Summary: Takes place during and after the season 3 finale. My take on what happens after the dance. And be prepared for some serious Zade fluff.


A/N: Boy, oh boy! It's been a while since I've written a HOD fic… but here we are… back where it all began… my love of Zade. Zoe had some amazing lines in the season 3 finale and I really wanted to follow them up with some lines of my own… so this will probably be a short little fic… 2-3 chapters maybe. Not sure when it will be updated, so if you want to be the first to know, then subscribe :) And please be sure to let me know what you think- I always have more inspiration to write when I've got reviews coming in.

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**A Second Second Chance**

It wasn't the first time he had been surprised off his ass by Zoe Hart. The first time would have been finding her drunk on the side of the road with a box of wine and a willingness to make out with a complete stranger in the front seat of his car. But over the last three years, Wade had realized that letting himself fall victim to Zoe's antics would only get him hurt in the end. He had thought that her showing up back in town with a new boyfriend would be the end of her surprising him. In fact, he'd forced himself not to get close enough to her to let her surprise him again. Then again, showing up on his front porch the other day with an ice scraper as a goodbye gift should have given him a clue that something was going on with the good doctor. And then last night happened. It had been a moment he hadn't expected of her, but then, that always was what he seemed to like best about Zoe. Telling the entire town that she was in love with him, however, was a step too far. It was beyond his realm of reasoning. It was more than he could handle.

So, in what had become typical fashion for him, Wade decided to take off.

Oh, he knew that the whole town was talking about it. Bluebell was infamous for that. He had even had a few people stop by and talk to him about it under the pretense of saying goodbye and wishing him well in Atlanta. But he knew better. They were all scouting things out for Zoe, trying to find out where his head was, what he was going to do. Wade always did have a knack for seeing people's true intentions that way.

So now here he was, loading up his car with the few meager possessions he had decided to take with him. It wasn't like the majority of his wardrobe would get much use, what with him needing suits and ties for the corporate office, but he packed the X-box and some games, his cell phone charger and his toothbrush and enough changes of clothes to get him through a few weekends without needing to do laundry. All the while, the thought of Zoe announcing to the whole town that she still loved him played through his mind.

At one point he would have appreciated the gesture, found it endearing and hopeful. But too much had happened since he had been at that point. Most recently and notably his failed relationship with Vivian… which Wade had to admit he certainly hadn't seen coming. Not many women turned Wade Kinsella down and the thought of two women in one family both breaking his heart that way just made him more determined to make a fresh start in Atlanta.

A knock resounded on his door and Wade looked up from the pile of video games he was still sorting through to see Lemon Breeland standing there, pie in hand. He gave her a lopsided smile and an eye roll before waving her inside.

"Lemon," he said, nodding.

"You know that normally I wouldn't interfere on matters that concern Dr. Zoe Hart," Lemon began, setting the pie down on Wade's messy kitchen table.

"I know you well enough to know that you interfere wherever you like, Lemon Breeland," he said, sighing and dropping the game cases on the ground and standing to meet her eyes. "But I can't imagine you came to intercede on her behalf."

"And so I haven't," Lemon answered. "I'm not here for her. I'm here for you."

Wade's eyes narrowed just enough to portray his confusion. "S'that so?" he drawled, moving past her out onto the porch.

Lemon nodded. "Wade Kinsella, I've known you your whole life. I've seen a lot of different sides a'you, and there's one thing I know sure as my own breath…" she paused, as if she were already regretting the words coming out of her mouth. "For whatever reason, you and Zoe Hart are good together."

Wade let out a howl that was a cross between a laugh and scoff. "Words I never thought I'd hear come outta your mouth," he confessed, running a hand through his hair before meeting her eyes. "But it is too late for all that. We tried to make it work, and it didn't."

It was the same line he'd given Zoe that morning when she'd come to see him, to ask him to say something, to tell him that she thought they were ready to give it another shot. He'd been practicing it over and over in his head since he'd left the Rammer Jammer the night before, forcing it into his mind.

"Wade, sometimes you have to stop being so stubborn and let yourself feel what you want to feel," Lemon's words were unexpected and he raised a brow, wondering if she was talking about him or herself.

"Thanks for the advice," he drawled, "but I've already made up my mind. And I've made a commitment. I don't plan on backing out."

Lemon frowned, and nodded. She set something else down beside the pie on the kitchen table. "Well then I wish you luck," she said. "But just so you know, I've never seen you happier than you are right there."

Wade glanced down at the piece of paper she'd set on the table. It was a photo taken at one of the many town events. He picked it up and then looked back for Lemon, but she had already disappeared out the open door and beyond his porch. His eyes fell to the photo again, taking in the sight of him giving Zoe a piggyback ride through town square. Both of them had huge grins on their faces, despite the fact that they were covered in mud. It was the mud run from last spring; back before everything fell apart. He hadn't wanted to participate but Zoe had made him go anyway. And when she fell and twisted her ankle, he carried her on his back over the finish line. They came in dead last, but it didn't matter; it had easily been one of the best days of his life. A rush of emotions hit him looking at that photo. Emotions that he tried to brush off as nostalgia even though he knew it was something more.

But despite even that, Wade had made up his mind to go- to get a fresh start from Bluebell, to rediscover himself as a billionaire playboy. Anything with Zoe would just further complicate that. At least that's what Wade kept telling himself.

It wasn't until Joel came to see him that the cracks in Wade's determination started to show. Joel, who had somehow become a good friend despite the fact that for the first month of knowing him, all Wade wanted to do was hate the guy for having Zoe. Wade wondered if maybe he just had a soft spot for New Yorkers; letting Joel in the way he had. Wade had never really had a friend like Joel before- someone who was eager to see life from a new direction, who always told Wade the hard truth, even before he asked for it. It was like Joel knew Wade better than he knew himself; telling him that he didn't have to go to Atlanta, that he wasn't the big city, suit-and-tie wearing kind of guy. Maybe somewhere deep down Wade did know those things about himself, but hearing them out loud gave them a new life. And just like that, all his resolve melted away. Just like that, every wall he'd been forcing up around his heart came tumbling down. Just like that, one look at Zoe Hart from across the space that separated his house from hers, and it was like all those last months just melted away.

He had every intention of going to the wedding reception and telling her how he'd changed his mind, but upon first stepping into the place he was struck with all the fears that had plagued him for the last several months. The memories of seeing Zoe and Joel stroll back into town together, watching them buy a house together, go out on dates at the Rammer Jammer. It was like a knife twisting in his gut all over again that gave him pause. Besides, wasn't staying enough for now? Wasn't waking up every morning knowing that he would see her over the course of the next several hours be enough to set his mind at ease at least until he could get used to the idea of them being together again?

And then they were dancing, his arm around her waist and her small hand in his and his mind focused on not stepping on her feet. The smell of her perfume reminding him of the sleepless nights they'd shared in her bed, intertwined and wrestling under the covers. Her brown eyes searching his, telling him that she wasn't giving up, that she would prove to him that they had a future together. Something in her determination, the set of her jaw and the confidence with which she walked away made his breath hitch in his throat as he watched her disappear into the dark night.

"You stayed," a voice that could only belong to Joel caught Wade in the middle of a memory and tore it from him, bringing him back to the reception and the full room and the ever fading warmth that Zoe had lent to him by standing so close. Joel clapped a hand over Wade's shoulder and Wade returned a quick smile.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Yeah I did."

Joel glanced around the room. "So, where is she? Did you tell her?"

"Tell who what?" Wade asked, knowing the answer but forcing the question just the same.

"Zoe," Joe said with a smirk. "Did you tell her that you stayed for her?"

Wade shook his head. "I stayed for…" he paused. "I'd never be good at a job like that… you said so yourself."

Joel gave Wade a quick pat on the back. "That may be," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "But it is not why you stayed."

Wade swallowed hard; he knew Joel was right. It felt strange to be receiving advice from Joel about a girl they'd both loved, but then again there wasn't much in Bluebell that wasn't strange. And in that moment nothing else mattered. "I hafta find her," Wade said, hand at his jaw, rubbing his chin. And then he was moving, through the dancing crowd, out the door, down the stairs.

"You're welcome!" Joel called, but it was too late. Wade was already gone. Running down the street, looking like a fool, the only way he ever knew how to look when it came to Zoe. There was only one thing on his mind; admitting to Zoe Hart that this time, just maybe, she was right about them after all.


End file.
